Various types of inhalers exist for aerosolizing liquids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,550, incorporated herein by reference, describes an inhaler which comprises a dispensing apparatus in which a membrane with tapered apertures is vibrated such that liquid in contact with a rear face of the membrane is dispensed from a front face of the membrane as an aerosol.
While effective at nebulizing liquids, such inhalers may not be particularly suited for certain applications, such as aerosolizing unit doses of insulin for pulmonary delivery.
Hence, the invention provides inhalers for delivering doses in a repeatable and predictable fashion. As described hereinafter, the inhalers of the invention may find particular use in aerosolizing liquid insulin for pulmonary delivery.